Blog Post

Top 5 Tips to Prevent Burglary

by Thomas Zuo

The standard home insurance policy provides coverage for theft of personal property and that is certainly a major reason for homeowners to purchase the coverage. However, there is an element of danger and disruption that comes with any burglary event at your home. At best, your home is burglarized when you are away, and you’ll come home to the loss of personal items. At worst, you may be the victim of a home invasion robbery where you are in the house while thieves enter it, or you interrupt them in the process. These events often turn deadly, with homeowners being injured or even killed. Truth is, burglaries can happen anywhere: Louisville, Memphis, Mesa, Sacramento, Tulsa, so the better solution is to keep your home from being a target of theft in the first place. Here are a few suggestions to safeguard your home, and as an added benefit, these steps can sometimes also earn you a discount on your home insurance policy.

Lighting –

Lights are a great deterrent to all sorts of mischief, particularly theft. Potential burglars do not want attention drawn to them and will likely bypass a home that is well-lit in the evenings or has motion-sensor lights. Lights outside and inside your home will help keep burglars at bay. In addition, modern home light timers can be set to irregular cycles so that someone watching your home will have a more difficult time determining if you are away. However, keep in mind that the best lighting will do nothing to deter theft during the day.

Locks on all entry points –

It’s probably obvious that you need to have safe and secure locks on your doors. However, have you considered your windows and sliding doors as weak points in your home? Make sure the locks and latches on each of your windows are secure and make sure they are properly locked whenever you leave the house. In the evenings before you go to bed, consider if it’s possible for someone to enter through an open window while you are sleeping. If so, it would be best to not leave a vulnerable window open and unlocked.

Alarm System –

A monitored alarm system can both deter burglars and also help you in the event of an invasion. However, for an alarm system to be truly effective, you need to enroll in a monitored service with direct response. Some of these systems have panic buttons built into the home that you can trigger. Another feature is that some systems can be linked to a water monitoring device that will alert the alarm company in the event of a water leak while you are out. Most insurance companies will also give you a discount on your insurance premium once the system is installed and operational.

Keys –

It’s common for homeowners to stash a “secret” key somewhere on their property in case they are locked out of the house. Unfortunately, it’s not difficult for someone watching your home and monitoring your activity to find the key. Instead, leave a key with a trusted friend or neighbor. However, it’s always a good idea to not mark keys with your address, as this is a road map to anyone finds your house key.

Establish a routine –

Every night when you go to bed and every morning when you leave for work, run through the same process to lock up and secure your home. This habit will keep you from missing certain doors, windows, or forgetting to set the alarm. If you do these tasks haphazardly, it’s easy to miss a step in the process. By following the same routine every day, you can ensure you will not miss anything.